This inspiring story began 24 years ago, at the turn of the century, when *Scott, a mission catalyst, and his wife *Saeng, began training Southeast Asian leaders at 3-5 day border events in Thailand.
During one of these events, Scott met Pastor Som, a humble and deeply committed believer from a small district north of the capital city. Though uneducated, *Pastor Som embraced everything he learned and applied it with determination. In the following years, he planted several churches across his province, and for a time, church multiplication was thriving.
However, when the national church took control of these leadership trainings, the growth halted. The churches remained, but the rapid multiplication ceased.
More than a decade later, a leader named *Anuson from Southeast Asia was being trained by the national church. Recognizing his potential, the national leaders sent him to a Bible college in the Philippines. While Anuson grew personally from the experience, the principles he learned about church leadership in an open society did not translate well to his home context.
Upon his return, he attempted to apply his training, but the large gatherings he led drew unwanted attention. Eventually, he was arrested and put in prison for over a year.
Meanwhile, the national church leaders heard of a successful church multiplication model being used in Central Southeast Asia. Scott and his team introduced this model to the national leaders. During that pivotal meeting, the head of the national church declared, “From now on, all our leaders across the country will follow this model.” His commitment was firm, and Scott, along with a team of co-workers, was invited to train leaders from all over the country. This shift occurred seven years ago.
After Anuson’s release from prison, he connected with Pastor Som, who had resumed following the church multiplication model with the full support of the central church. Anuson learned this new approach from Som and returned to Southeast Asia, eager to put it into practice. Knowing Anuson’s passion for the model, Scott invited him to a training in Thailand, held in a village of the Bru people—the same ethnic background as Anuson.
The training deepened Anuson’s understanding of the multiplication strategy. Anuson and his team have now started 48 new discipleship groups, 13 of which have become fully functioning churches. At a training session, Scott spoke highly of Anuson, saying, “He’s a man known for his love for others and his strong life of prayer.” Meanwhile, Pastor Som has now seen the Christian population in his province grow from 1,000 to 2,000 believers.
We thank God that the national church embraced this new way of working, allowing many more people in Southeast Asia to hear the message of Jesus and choose to follow Him.
Join us in celebrating this 24-year answer to prayer: Pastor Som’s faithful multiplication of churches and leaders, and Anuson’s success in adapting the model to his unique setting, resulting in 48 new groups.
Please continue to pray for pastors Anuson and Som, that they would experience God’s favor and continue to train up new leaders. May every village in their provinces be home to a community of obedient disciples.
*pseudonym
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